Sunset at 8.30 pm - we left Sardinia 7 hours ago
It is a few minutes past 10.30 pm, the sun set two hours ago, dinner is over, the ocean is calm, our after-dinner conversation on the back deck turned to AI and its future. 30 minutes earlier, the sea had turned black. Where the moonlight hits the waves, they flicker like liquid silver. It feels like being a Phoenicia heading home to Tyros or somewhere else in the Levant. Our boat is on a course of 110 degrees to Sicily. Big Bear, the Omega system, the Belt of Orion, the North Star are clearly visible albeit a bit faint – we are close to full moon. Jupiter and Saturn shine just one finger ten o’clock away from the moon. There are no other ships nearby. The radar shows a fishing boat 24 miles away looking for tiger prawns and shrimps. We are alone - with nothing else to do than keeping a steady course. It is beautiful, almost serene.
The Moon at 2.30 am - clouds were passing over us but we avoided the heavy winds
The plan for week four was to sail from Cagliari to Tunisia but the latest news on Covid-19 made us change it. Tunisia may be put on the list of countries you have to quarantine when returning home. We decided not to run the risk and will now spend the last week in Sicily. Tunisia will be for next year. It is the perfect start for week one in 2021: Carthage to Malta. A little and enjoyable change of plan. None of us has been to the south coast of Sicily. We are looking forward to the Phoenician towns and the Greek temples in Selinunte and Agrigento.
Our alternative plan for week four
As a result of our change of plan, the morning was a bit of a rush. We had to get the AFAET ready, restocked, refueled, cleaned and washed before 12 am.
Restocking the AFAET in the morning heat in Cagliari
Refuelling also took more than 45 minutes - it is Mediterranean speed
The fortified Castello of Cagliari
There were only two hours left to discover Cagliari, a much more beautiful and livelier town than expected. The town’s rocky hills were settled in Neolithic times , the Phoenicians arrived in 800 BC - same time as in Tharros. For 400 years, Cagliari was part of Carthage’s Empire, became Roman in 238 BC and stayed Roman-Byzantine for the next 1’000 years.
The Roman Amphitheater in Cagliari - the largest on the island - chiselled in the rock
Heavily fortified Spanish Cagliari in the 16th century
Its rocky hills and the surrounding marshlands made it easily defensible, its deep harbor was ideal for commerce and naval operations. The modern town was founded by Pisa and taken over by Aragon in 1326 AD. The Spanish fortified the town with the large bastions that still stand today. Malta was only 2 sailing days away – the siege of Malta by a 65’000 strong Ottoman Army in 1565 was not forgotten. Today, Cagliari is the home of close to 400’000 people, has Sardinia’s largest university with 35’000 students, is the island’s main harbor and the seat of the regional government. Not surprisingly, the town is full of young people, has a lively street life and brims with economic activity. A short stroll at 7 pm thru its main street with the many shops and open-air restaurants tells it all. Definitely a town to come back to!
Bastione San Remy - converted by King Umberto into a triumphal arch
Every side alley is filled with tables for out-door dining
The Santa Maria Cathedral which was started by Pisa but took decades to complete
Recycled Roman pillars in Santa Maria
Time to go to bed – when we wake up tomorrow morning, we will be just a few hours of Trapani, Sicily’s westernmost town. The Sicilian adventure begins.